Most of today's computer users employ a variety of processing platforms on some sort of network, such as the Internet. For example, some consumers enjoy working and/or playing games on a home PC that is connected to a printer. The user may then connect to the Internet using a variety of methods such as a digital subscriber line (DSL), a dial-up modem, or other methods, and then utilize the PC and printer as components of a small home network. On a larger scale, enterprises may employ various local area networks (LANs), wide area network (WANs), and a variety of implementations to suit their needs. In most cases, the enterprises also have global networking capability through a network such as the Internet.
In order for a network to recognize that a network component or a processing platform is part of the network, the processing platform must be properly configured. Unfortunately, this process requires manual intervention. For example, a user may be required to navigate through several menus or commands to provide information required by a network to and to install the platform on the network. Unfortunately, this method is tedious and prone to errors. Moreover, many users are not familiar with the level of detail required to configure and install a processing platform on a network.